Drainage improvements approved

Jobee Acres gets permission to move, straighten culvert to help improve water flow

Jobee Acres gets permission to move, straighten culvert to help improve water flow

April 16, 2008|By Scott Waltman, swaltman@aberdeennews.com

Jobee Acres residents are working to improve drainage in the development southeast of Aberdeen. Tuesday, the Jobee Acres Homeowners Association received permission from the Brown County Drainage Board to replace a culvert that goes through the development's frontage road, which is called Pasque Parkway. Ron Erickson, who lives at Jobee Acres, said the existing culvert is crooked and, as a result, drains the wrong way. Moving the culvert a bit to the south and straightening it should help water drain more naturally to the south, he said. Erickson said Jobee Acres residents are working with Clark Engineering of Aberdeen to create a holding pond near the development to ease drainage problems. Some Jobee Acres homes had significant damage after last year's spring flooding. To try and curtail the high water, one resident, who didn't seek permission, used sandbags to block a culvert between the development and airport property. Water on airport land was draining to Jobee Acres. The matter wound up in court, and a judge ordered the sandbags be removed, although not all at once. Stan Beckler, who farms east of Jobee Acres, didn't object to the culvert being moved. But, he said, the drainage board and others need to be aware of future potential drainage concerns. He said the airport has plans to extend a runway and that will mean more water flows from the property. Sometimes, the water from Jobee Acres and the airport is pumped to Beckler's land. Eventually, he said, it flows to the southwest. He said that in the future, 390th Avenue will need more culverts to improve drainage. Mike Wiese, chairman of the county commission and a member of the drainage board, said that the airport area needs a comprehensive plan that would cover drainage matters. He said that airport officials know they will have to address drainage concerns with the runway expansion.